Necessarily
a recurring character because of her filiation (to be a Lockridge is a
priesthood !), Laken has however never knew real personal storylines.
This is why she also easily knew disappearances and resurrections
throughout the show.

In 1984, Laken belongs to the
Santa Barbara "young generation" troop : she
goes alongside with Danny Andrade, Jade Perkins and especially Ted Capwell, the junior
of her parents' rival-family, with whom she is in love. This is why
her love with him turn to be so difficult : the parental authority
makes opposition to this passion which tries to face generations of
competition and animosity between the Capwells and the Lockridges. Laken must
face the worst ripostes from her mother Augusta, this latter
even going until serving on toats the pet pigeon
which was used as a messenger between the two lovers ! Laken only finds
comfort near her grandmother, Minx, who ends up giving her blessing by love for
her. But even by facing the interdictions,
Laken has great difficulties to bloom herself in her relation with Ted, this
latter being moreover particularly timid and awkward.

She ends up leaving
towards new horizons, to try an improbable career in cinema,
before coming back in 1987, discovering with stupor how much the things
had changed during her absence : her parents divorced, her mother
and her brother left the city, and her great love of youth, Ted, is now
married to the sweet Hayley Benson. Still there, Laken only leads a
small life, between her father whom she sometimes helps at Johnny's
Place repurchased to his son Brick, and Ted whom she tries to seduce in vain.
With her former boyfriend T.J. Daniels, she participates in the opening
of a new club, The Lair, but doesn't stay enough longer to see it
growing. She however welcomes with a sincere friendship her father's
new girlfriend, Caroline Wilson, and, for her, agrees to
keep the secret of the terrible disease this latter knows to be a victim
of a
few weeks before dying. But again, without real attachment to the town
which saw her being born, Laken decides to take the road a new time.

She finally
reappears in 1990, delighted by finally find her parents reunited
together. Whereas
she seems attracted by the movie director Stephen Slade, with whom she
takes courses of dramatic art, this is with Amado Gonzalez that she meets
love. But because of their different social position, she has to confront, a new time,
her mother's disapproval. Decided
to become emancipated, Laken launches into extreme sports, car race...
To Amado's great displeasure, who worries about her and eventually gets
tired of her sudden eccentricities. Because of their differences which
became more marked with the months, Laken prefers, a few days after the
return of her half-brother Warren, to leave town again...